At 6-foot-5 and 225 pounds, Petersen was a powerful force off the edge this season for the Lancers, racking up 16 solo tackles for loss and 10 solo sacks, and earning a spot on the Register's All-Iowa Elite Team.

Rivals gives Petersen three stars and ranks him the state's No. 4 prospect for 2018. The 247Sports Composite also gives him three stars. It ranks him No. 7 among the state's prospects and No. 68 among the class' strong-side defensive ends.

As of Nov. 13, only Division II programs Lindenwood and Minnesota State-Mankato had offered Petersen. Then he piled up five Power 5 offers in four weeks. That rapid surge is thanks in large part to the film from his senior season.

Let's take a closer look at what makes Petersen stand out in this Cyclone film room session.

This guy's motor is incredible: Sometimes you worry a kid with Petersen's raw physical gifts will take plays off. That is 1,000 percent not the case here. Petersen wants to dominate his competition, and he fires at full-throttle until the whistle. He was the tone-setter for the fourth-best defense in Class 4A. His motor and infectious energy are on full display throughout his film, but especially at the 0:22 mark: Petersen gets blocked low at the line before he immediately bounces up, quickly accelerates to full speed and finishes a tackle on the running back — on the opposite side of the field — for a loss of 3. Another good example comes at the 3:15 mark: A double-team stops him at the line before he sheds their blocks, switches direction and sprints back toward the ball to catch the running back after a 6-yard gain.

North Scott defensive end Zach Petersen (55) leads his team onto the field before a game vs. Davenport Assumption on August 25, 2017.(Photo: Courtesy of Scott Campbell, North Scott Press)

He has the tools to be a nuisance for college offensive tackles: At the high school level, Petersen is nearly impossible to stop one-on-one in the pass rush. He starts low to the ground and blasts upward with legs that can squat 485 pounds. His long arms often start pushing tackles off their spot before they can get a hand on him. If the tackles are able to grab some jersey, Petersen has the strength and violent hands to get away from those blockers. He'll need to develop more technical skills for inside moves. But with his explosive first step, Petersen is adept at blowing by his blocker on the outside, and he's got the body control to sharply angle back inside and pressure the quarterback. Watch at the two-minute mark, for instance: Petersen was already in the backfield before that offensive tackle ever got his hands up.

His speed will cause problems, too: Petersen's agility extends beyond his first step. According to his Hudl, he boasts a 4.9-second 40-yard dash, which is a good place to start. They will make him bigger and faster in college. He has the frame for it. It's funny to watch quarterbacks seem almost surprised by Petersen's closing speed. That happens at the 1:02 mark, when Petersen sheds a block at the line and quickly tracks down the quarterback for a 15-yard sack. You see it again at the 1:35 mark. Petersen stops at the 32-yard line to read whether the quarterback or running back will run the ball — it's the quarterback. Then, Petersen accelerates to full speed in few steps and sacks the quarterback at the 37 for a 5-yard loss.

Matthew Bain covers college football and basketball recruiting for the Des Moines Register. He also helps out with Iowa and Iowa State football and basketball coverage for HawkCentral and Cyclone Insider. Contact him at mbain@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @MatthewBain_.